Sports

PSAL Class A baseball seeding released with a few surprises

The PSAL baseball seeding committed released its bracket this morning. Without further ado, here are the seeds:

1. James Monroe (16-0, Bronx A East)

2. George Washington (16-0, Manhattan A East)

3. Tottenville (17-1, Staten Island A)

4. James Madison (16-0, Brooklyn A East)

5. Norman Thomas (14-2, Manhattan A East)

6. Morris (14-2, Bronx A East)

7. Grand Street Campus (16-0, Queens A West)

8. Lehman (13-3, Bronx A West)

9. McKee/Staten Island Tech (15-3, Staten Island A)

10. Cardozo (14-2, Queens A East)

11. Fort Hamilton (13-3, Brooklyn A West)

12. Telecommunications (13-3, Brooklyn A West)

13. John Adams (15-1, Queens A Mid-West)

14. Beacon (12-4, Manhattan A West)

15. Francis Lewis (13-3, Queens A East)

16. John F. Kennedy (12-4, Bronx A West)

17. New Utrecht (12-4, Brooklyn A West)

18. Long Island City (12-4, Queens A West)

19. DeWitt Clinton (9-7, Bronx A East)

20. Gompers (8-8, Bronx A West)

21. Stuyvesant (10-6, Manhattan A West)

22. Midwood (10-6, Brooklyn A East)

23. Brooklyn Tech (10-6, Brooklyn A East)

24. South Bronx (8-8, Bronx A East)

25. Environmental Studies (8-8, Manhatttan A West)

26. FDA (8-8, Manhattan A East)

27. Manhattan Center (8-8, Manhattan A East)

28. Newtown (8-8, Queens A Mid-West)

29. William Bryant (8-8, Queens A West)

30. Aviation (8-8, Queens A East)

Let’s be clear, the PSAL baseball seeding committee had a tough job to do. Comparing teams from Brooklyn to their counterparts from The Bronx is not easy. The top 10, to me, is near flawless. I think Grand Street deserved the sixth spot over Morris, but that’s a small disagreement.

This sets up for quite a second round and an even better quarterfinal round. Kennedy-Monroe in the second round is thrilling; Lehman hosting MSIT promises to be a classic; and how about Madison facing defending champion Norman Thomas?

There are, of course, problems.

How John F. Kennedy is the 16th best team in the city blows my mind. The Knights nearly beat Monroe, the overall top seed, losing a 4-3 heartbreaker despite coach Alex Torres benching eight starters for missing practice. This is the Kennedy club that lost by a run to Morris to start the season and rallied from two runs down in the seventh to top Clinton.

Fort Hamilton and Telecommunications are not the 11th and 12th best teams in the city, respectively. If Telecomm and Kennedy played 10 times, JFK wins on at least on seven occasions, and likely even more. I understand those teams finished tied atop Brooklyn A West, but Fort Hamilton limped to the finish line, losing two of three. The Tigers, in fact, had destiny in their own hands and a 5-0 lead over New Utrecht, only to cough up the lead and sole custody of the division crown.

They should be punished, not rewarded. Speaking of the Utes, they are better than Clinton and Gompers? Really?

Sure, they went 12-4 in Brooklyn A East, but how many games do they win in Bronx A East, where Clinton went 9-7? Seven at best, I say. On one hand, the committee punished Kennedy and Clinton for finishing poorly, yet rewarded Fort Hamilton for it.

It doesn’t add up. Speaking of inconsistencies, Madison was given the fourth spot, a fair place in my mind. Yet, other Brooklyn schools are held in high esteem. If they were going to put Telecom, Fort Hamilton, and New Utrecht so high, Madison should at least be third. And if Tottenville is third, McKee/Staten Island Tech shouldn’t be forced to go on the road in the second game.

All that being said, I think the committee got more right than wrong. This is not easy. Baseball is the hardest sport to gauge in that non-league games are difficult to judge since some coaches treat them as scrimmages while others go all out. Boroughs tend to fluctuate in difficulty and competitiveness, so they are hard to compare from season to the next. Staten Island was No. 2 last spring, behind The Bronx, yet they were likely fourth this year.

Now that I have expressed my issues with the seeding, let’s move on to the actual playoffs and a few predictions.

Sleeper: No. 11 Fort Hamilton. Yes, I spent some time criticizing their placement, but the Tigers have three power arms in Fraciel Campusano, Franklyn Perez, and Jonathan Maldanado, and a feisty lineup that can manufacture runs. They nearly upset Madison and lost a 14-inning thriller to Telecommunications. Morris could be ripe for the picking in the second round.

Upset special: No. 20 Gompers over No. 13 John Adams

Sure, John Adams went 15-1 in Queens A Mid-West, and yes, ace Rafael Guerrero is one of the elite hurlers in the city. Gompers will nevertheless get by the Spartans. The Panthers have their own ace in southpaw Juan Hilario,boast a lineup that can do damage against Guerrero, and finished strong in Bronx A West, winning six of its last nine. Whereas Adams was hardly tested during league play, although they coach Glenn Beyer did schedule a series of city powers in non-league action, Gompers was pushed twice a week in The Bronx.

Player to watch:
Jose Cuas, No. 7 Grand Street Campus

The 6-foot-3 sophomore shortstop puts up absurdly gaudy offensive numbers –.531 average, 3 homers, 24 runs scored, 20 RBIs, and 18 stolen baes — during the regular season and led the Wolves to an undefeated year in Queens A West. Blessed with a power arm, he is also their closer, and despite being an underclassmen, a team leader. If he gets it going, and based on what he did the last two months, there is no reason to expect anything less, Grand Street could make serious noise in the coming weeks.


Pitcher to watch: John Silva, No. 3 Tottenville

The hard-throwing left-hander is the best pitcher nobody talks about. He has put it together late, finally mastering command of his mid-to-high 80’s riding fastball and deceptively late breaking curve. He handcuffed McKee/Staten Island Tech, tossing a no-hitter. He holds the key to the offensively potent Pirates making a deep run.

Final Four: No. 1 Monroe, No. 3 Tottenville, No. 5 Norman Thomas, and No. 7 Grand Street Campus

A certain Brooklyn coach won’t be happy with these selections. I can’t see Madison getting by Norman Thomas in the quarterfinals, not if the Tigers are going to pitch the way they did against George Washington last week. Speaking of the Trojans, I don’t see enough pitching. Grand Street will knock them out in the quarterfinals. The Wolves will certainly be using the no respect card after an undefeated season only netted them the seventh seed.

As for Monroe, no top seed has ever faced a tougher draw. Mike Turo’s versatile and talented club can handle it. The Eagles will get by Kennedy in the second round and best McKee/Staten Island Tech – yes, I see the Sea Gulls knocking off Lehman on the road in the second round – in the quarters. Compared to Monroe, Tottenville’s road to the quarters will be easy. Beacon in the second round should be a cake walk and while Fort Hamilton’s Campusano will hold the Pirates lineup down in the quarterfinals, the Tigers won’t do nearly enough offensively to pull the upset.

Champion:
No. 1 Monroe over No. 3 Tottenville

Good pitching stops good hitting any day, and I like the Eagles’ 1-2 punch of senior Jesus Vasquez and freshman Ricardo Parra and fire closer Cruz Resto brings out of the bullpen. Plus, Monroe can swing it just as good as anyone, and has improved dramatically defensively. Up to this point, it’s been a dream season for Monroe. The Bronx powerhouse went undefeated in Bronx A East for the first time since 2007 — the same year it fellt to Tottenville in the city title game — Turo picked up 1,000 victory, and centerfielder Melvin Garcia is expected to get taken in the MLB Draft. Next up is title No. 6.

zbraziller@nypost.com